One Side Teak (OST) for your big, medium and small projects

One of the many questions in a hobby woodworker in his beginning stages is if a finish can be directly applied on plywood. Will plywood be able to absorb paint or stain that results in a fulfilling finish? I had the same question when I made my first center table, and I sought the help of my friend who built my modular kitchen. He said, “Use OST on top of the ply”. From that point till now, I have grown really fond of One Side Teak sheets and have used them for many of my projects. Since I get few enquiries on what OST is, it made sense to make a post on it. So, here are some facts on OST:

• One Side Teaks, naturally, have a teak finish to it, and only on one side
• The rear of OST is plain and ordinary with random grain patterns
• OSTs are 4mm in thickness
• They are available in 8ft x 4 ft dimensions
• They cost approximately about Rs.25 / Sq ft
• They are not just ideal for your big furniture projects, but also come in handy for your small craft needs
• They can be easily cut using Mica cutters

One Side Teak (OST)

Wood veneers are relatively expensive and Laminates are not easily available (most take only bulk orders) and so OST was my natural choice for all my center tables. That it can be easily cut and glued onto the plywood top made it that much easier for me. The biggest challenge I had was to find a vendor who will be flexible to source OSTs based on my needs and not be hell bent on selling it as the 8ft x 4ft package. 

They can be sanded down for a smoother finish and look beautiful when left in their natural glory too.

OST for my plywood tables

I preferred to use OSTs when I had a need to build a clock for our own use. For a change, I wanted to use the rear of the OST as the clock face for the one I built for use in my home. The random patterns looked enhanced after sanding and it brought out a fresh look. I used the teak side for the other clock I built which I stained to a walnut brown color.

Wooden wall clock using One side teak

With rubber wood or teak wood or rose wood being slightly on the expensive side and not available in dimensions other than 8ft x 4ft, plywood would remain to be the most preferred raw material until such time the hobby takes off to the next level. That being the case, OST will remain to be a good option to achieve a classy finish on top of the coarse looking ply.

I intend to use it for many of the projects that I make in the future which I certainly shall update here. Until then, I would love to hear from you on your favorite raw material. What is the wooden substrate that you love working with ? How and where do you source it from ? Do share your thoughts as a comment.

- Somu

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